The Game Innovation Database

Posted on May 24, 2006

The BBC reports on a new Wikipedia-like site called the Game Innovation Database (GIDb) that is trying to classify and record every innovation in the entire history of computer and videogames.

When complete, the team behind the site believe it will be the first complete online record of a rapidly changing industry and a useful resource for those who don't know their Pong from their Pac-man.
"We have created the Game Innovation Database in order to create a historical record of which innovations appeared when, and why they are important," said Professor Jesse Schell of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center, and one of the team behind the site.
"So many videogame innovations have occurred so fast that there is a danger that many fascinating and important innovations will be forgotten."
The website currently has nearly 400 entries that describe the first appearance of a new experience in a videogame or feature on a games machine.

The GIDb also has an innovation of the week. The innovation for this week is snaking.

Snaking is a technique that takes advantage of the "mini-boost" technique that is popular in many racing games. Basically, the players has to powerslide into a turn, and upon release, gets a slight boost of speed. Now, by applying this technique repeatedly, especially on straightaways, a player can constantly weave back and forth, harvesting constant mini-boosts, and maintaining a speed far higher than normal.

It looks like the GIDb will be packed full of interesting stuff.